A suspension letter was handed over to the Congress man who had put up banners of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Kumbh Mela area early this week.

The party had served Abhay Awasthi, convener of Kisan Congress, notice three days ago and sought his explanation. Awasthi has replied that since Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad were doing politics in Mahakumbh by projecting Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the BJP, it was appropriate to give them a befitting reply by raising Congress leaders' banners. He also claimed that it showed his loyalty towards the party leadership.

But Awasthi has also written in his explanation that he should be pardoned if he had committed a mistake and hoped that his long service to the party would be kept in mind before taking any action against him.

Sources in the Congress told Mail Today that Rahul was extremely annoyed with Awasthi's action in the Mela area. He had directed the UP Congress Committee leaders to ensure that such activities were not repeated and asked them to show the door to the man behind the banners.

"Rahul was of the view that the banners were in bad taste. He had asked the Congress leaders of the state to bring them down and punish Awasthi," a Congress leader said on the condition of anonymity.

Vivek Singh, zonal Congress president said, "He has been suspended from the party. We cannot follow the precedence set by communal parties and fanatic people. We are a secular party and take utmost care to not to drag religion into politics."

The banners in question had portrayed Sonia as Rani Laxmi Bai and Rahul as Neelkanth Mahadev (Lord Shiva).

Awasthi, a former student leader of Allahabad University, had put up similar posters in Allahabad during Assembly elections last year. Some Congress leaders had given him verbal warning. But he didn't listen to them.

Do You Like This Story? Awesome! Now share the story Too bad. Tell us what you didn't like in the comments